Tips for the responsible traveler

Whatever your travel plans may be, we want to help you experience the world while having the greatest possible impact on yourself and the places you visit. Here are some resources for the aspiring responsible traveler.

- “Why we travel”: Pico Iyer provides insight into our curiosities, desires and fascination with the unknown world.

- “Voluntourism: What could go wrong when trying to do right”, “Traveling Responsibly—Learning Trips over Giving Trips?”, and "Learning (and Thinking) Resources for Travelers": In her blog “Lessons I  Learned,” PEPY founder Daniela Papi addresses some potential pitfalls of volunteer travel, and suggests ways to tackle these problems.

- “To hell with good intentions”: Back in the 1960s Ivan Illich raised strong objections to the motive and effects of so-called aid work.

- “Third-World Petting Zoos”: Before contributing to an orphanage in the developing world, consider Eric Lewis's assessment of such practice.

- “Begging: The Question”: On a similar topic, Lori Robertson tackles the dilemma of whether to give money to street children.

- “Gap-year students are just misery tourists. . .”: Tanya Gold comments candidly on the egregious misbehavior of voluntourists who venture into the third world for the wrong reasons.

- “How to determine if an aid project is a good idea”  and “Allure of the quick fix”: Never fear, development expert Saundra Schimmelpfennig gives sage advice on gauging whether your prospective volunteer travel plans are worthwhile.

-"13 Tips for the Accidental Ambassador": Ethical Traveler offers advice on how to represent yourself and your home country when traveling abroad.

In a similar vein, PEPY’s Participant Primer (along with this compendium for chaperones)  aims to help travelers best prepare, both physically and mentally, for the challenges they will encounter when they venture out of their comfort zone and into the unknown.